The beach at Llanrhystud can be ideal for windsurfing, swimming and general leisure activities. Its possible to park right on the pebble bank behind the beach, accessible from a little road heading towards the coast, just south of the village of Llanrhystud on the A487.
A former Llanrhystud man is warning that the village will lose its beach unless erosion work is undertaken soon.
John hughes, who now lives in Bridgend, visits Llanrhystud regularly to see his sister, Muriel, who still lives here.
And John is urging Ceredigion County Council or the Environment Agency to do something to stop the loss of the beach.
He said: "The main concern has been that the beach has deteriorated over the last few years.
"Llanrhystud has the best beach probably between the other side of Aberaeron and Borth.
"We are losing an amenity there that attracts holidaymakers and day trippers, but the numbers of people visiting the beach has dropped."
And John is adamant that he will keep fighting until something is done to stop the erosion of the beach.
John and Muriel called a meeting of residents with representatives of the Environment Agency and Ceredigion County Council to discuss the problems.
John said that the beach has been reduced to around 400 or 500 yards of sand.
And he said: "The initial thing was to have a word with the Environment Agency on the environmental issue.
"I liaised with the Environment Agency who sent some people up to the meeting and there was a representative from Ceredigion County Council.
"It was more a case of noting the concerns of the local residents and there was a good turnout considering there were no posters, only my sister putting some flyers through doors."
But John is under no illusions that whatever work is needed to save the beach will probably have come from the council.
He said: "We can't do anything really because of the cost of measures to protect the sand. At least now they know that we are not happy bunnies."
However, John is under no illusion that more work is needed to put pressure on the council.
He said: "The next step for me is to lobby the local AMs and MPs and to appeal to the tourist board to put some pressure on the council and Environment Agency.
"It is early days, but hopefully we can fire up the locals. I see the difference at the beach more and more when I come up four or five times a year and perhaps I notice it more than the residents."
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said that although two representatives had attended the meeting it was not really an Agency concern.
But he said that officers responsible for sea defence and bio-diversity had attended after an invite.
He said: "We didn't comment because it's nor really under our remit.
"Unless there are sea defence or bio-diversity issues it is not really our area of responsibility. We had been invited to the meeting and were just there out of politeness."
No-one from Ceredigion County Council was available for comment.
Crab invasion under the spotlight
Ceredigion is witnessing the rare sight of thousands of spider crabs along its shores this summer. 2003
Extract from BBCi Website
It is claimed that it is the biggest influx of the species into the area in living memory.
Reasons put forward for the migration from south Wales to waters around New Quay, Llanrhystud and Borth vary from climate change to a population explosion.
But an expert in marine biology claims it is too early to be sure of the exact reason for the crustacean invasion.
Some claim that the crabs have migrated because of a rise in water temperature but it is too early to say if this is a factor
Dr John Fish, marine biologist
The creature lives on sand and amongst rocks down to about 50 metres in depth.
But it comes inshore in large numbers in summer to molt and mate forming huge writhing mounds of crabs and empty shells.
Dr John Fish, the head of biological sciences at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, has experience of working on Ceredigion's beaches stretching back for thirty years.
Population explosion
"I've seen more spider crabs on Ceredigion's beaches this year than in other years and fisherman have reported a large increase in numbers," said Dr Fish.
"Records for this area stretch back to the 1950s and there are authors who have stated that the spider crab was abundant in Ceredigion's waters during that decade."
The marine biologist said the crab population explosion could have occurred because of favourable climactic conditions for the survival of the current population.
"Some claim that the crabs have migrated because of a rise in water temperature but it is too early to say if this is a factor."
Borth beach also sees an increase in spider crab numbers
The crab grows up to 20cm across. Its spiny back is often covered with sponge and seaweed which the crab plants there for camouflage.
Keith Stone, the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee's officer for the area between Cardigan and Barmouth, said there had been a definite rise in crab numbers.
"We have definitely seen an increase in spider crab numbers over the last two years and this year they have been almost marching up the beach," he said.
"It could be because of global warming, ocean currents or changing migration patterns."
Several of Ceredigion's beaches provide a favourite habitat for the spider crab.
"They like patches of sand in between rocks which you find at Cei Bach near New Quay," said Mr Stone.
"But it is rare to find them so far north although they may be adapting to the colder water temperature conditions in the same way a person who drinks six pints a night can the cope with drinking ten pints."
